Delhi HC orders social media firms to act on AP Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan's personality rights violation

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked social media platforms Meta, Google and X to act on Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan's complaint regarding entities violating his personality rights.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora ordered the intermediaries to decide on the actor-turned politician's complaints within a week.

"Plaintiff to submit details of infringing links with the intermediaries within two days. Intermediaries to take action within one week. if the intermediaries have any reservations, they can communicate to the plaintiff," the Court said.

It then listed the case for further consideration on December 22.

The Court passed the order on a personality rights suit filed by Kalyan alleging that several entities on social media platforms and e-commerce sites were using elements of his persona for commercial gains without authorisation.

Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak appeared for Kalyan and stated that as per the High Court's orders in the Ajay Devgan case, the plaintiff's lawyers had written to the intermediaries but got no satisfactory response and that many infringing materials continue to remain online.

The Court then said that Kalyan can submit the URLs with the intermediaries which will act on the same within a week.

"Mr Sai Deepak, we will take it up after 10 days, let them (intermediaries) take action in the meantime," Justice Arora said.

Along with Senior Advocate Sai Deepak, advocates Himanshu Deora, Rahul Mehta, Arpit Choudhary, Sukrit Kapoor, Krunal Mehta, Anupriya Alok, Sambhavi Sharma, Sanat Saswadkar, Sambhavi Bhardwaj and Karen Koya of King Stubb & Kasiva represented Pawan Kalyan.

[Read Live Coverage]